My Mask
by Sorceress of Demon Otters
Summary: A translated Tameranian account of what goes on in Starfire's head... for real. One-shot, and very short. Hope you like it.
1. I am Not That Which You See

I am possibly the least understood being on this planet, which is not my own. Many see only my outer naivete, my cheerfulness, my mask... my false name. They don't know me... the real me. You see, I may not understand Earth, but I certainly understand the ways of the universe. Don't get me started on the wars I've seen... that I've had to sit through, being protected like I was made of glass, while countless people suffered. Few see behind my less-than-great language skills and cheeriness. It's just the way I was brought up, to look at the bright side of things... but that's really because an angry, depressed Tameranian has immense, blind, destructive power. Many see me as just stupid. They don't know me...

So few. They all know Starfire, the public, they know the cheey alien girl, but to meet Koriand'r of Tameran would slap them hard upside the head. Even my closest friends, the Titans, most still only know half of what I am. Robin... he can see me clearly. He has that gaze, when he looks at you, he can see your memories, he just... knows... to him, I am not Starfire. He may refer to me as such, but to him I am truly myself-- Koriand'r of Tameran.

Now who exactly is this Koriand'r girl? I will be honest, I do not brag. She is-- I am-- intelligent, though maybe not strategic. I am passionate about what I set my mind to, and to hurt my friends is to have a deathwish. If you spoke to Starfire on such matters, she would ask nicely. I might ask nicely, but only if it was possible, and then if you refused to stop, I would be forced to take you down. Such are the thoughts playing through my mind, fighting all those villains... I seem heroic but I merely go by my own values. No, I am not naive, not in the big picture. Not at all.

* * *

I sit next to a black-haired, masked boy now, in a darkened movie theater, and he stares intently at the screen. I stare at him. He is much like me, but his mask is more obvious; he is still imprisoned within his own knowledge of the universe. Though this may be a difficult place to live, it is not nearly as awful as he makes it in his mind. I am slowly but surely persuading him to come out... to come out of his cage, unlock it and throw away the key forever. For him to come out and be-- no, not normal; I am almost as normal as I will ever get, having seen the suffering that goes on daily, unnoticed. But for him to accept the danger, and just... live, even if only for a moment, to take a break and say, 'I'm all of fourteen, and I've been up all night, I'm going to go watch a rental DVD with my friends.' To not push himself all the time. I don't know if I'll ever completely acomplish my goal, but for know... it's always worth a try. 


	2. The Raven Soars

I sit sideways on a pink bed, having given up sleep hours ago, thinking. Maybe this room is just a _little _too pink... some purple would be nice, but not black. Not black, like Raven. I am also one of the few who understands Raven... she, too, wears a mask, but of a different kind...

I try, as does Beast Boy, to get her to open up. She puts up a shield against the world... I have to make her understand that hiding from the world will only make her condition work. She can develop a resistance against it. Positive emotions create a lock on her demonic half, which gives her her power but, when put away, does not control it. She must transform herself from a vessel for her power to one who has great power. But still she attempts to recede into herself. Many times I can't, myself, pull her out, but the rest of the team behind me can and does help. This girl has a special condition, it's true, but it doesn't have to become a handicap. I've noticed herself come out much more lately... the lock is already being built, it has contained her anger. Now she does not feel hate towards any of us, nor anger. Annoyance yes, hatred, no.

I believe many find her 'Gothic.' I beg to differ... she has preferences for the color black, this is true, but she does not fit into that category. Why? Well, maybe it's because very few fit their stereotypes. I am found to be a 'Prep' when in fact, I really could not be less of one. The only reason I use pink is to maintain a positive mindset... Tameranian psychology is much different from the human kind. As I have said before, an angry Tameranian can launch into a blind rage, destroying anything and everything. So in truth, Raven and I share a trouble. We merely control it in different ways.

I have to say she is, as much as she would deny it to the public, a very good friend of mine. She knows about my problem with negative emotion, and I can help her with hers. We might look like exact opposites, and in some ways we are, but she isn't gloomy or depressed. No, she would be if I let her. But that's not who she is. She's Raven... she is mysterious and secretive, but also loyal and strong.

Sitting here, in the dead of night, I wonder what she's doing. Probably not sleeping... she never was one who needed much sleep. No, I imagine her cross-legged, hovering above her bed, chanting softly, and finding her center. I do so as well, sometimes. It has a calming effect, it helps me maintain a good mood. She is probably exploring her mind, something I may soon learn how to do. I have seen a sketch of her mind... it is barren, with its own sort of tranquility. It is fractured and split, and the earth is blackened. She now, as she has told me, seen some reeds srpouting near a pond, and a sparrow has hatched. It's green. Why a green sparrow has any significance I don't know, but it must, because it is her mind. Sure, I realise. I understand part of her. But there's that little bit she keeps to herself, that no one will ever know... and that is really what makes her Raven.

* * *

**CreatorOfKitty**: Okay, okay, I gave in... I'll be doing more when I feel like it. These are harder to write than stories, ya know, takes a while to think everything up and there's no plot progression to help you along...

And, as always, review, and if you flame, MY DEMON OTTERS **WILL** ZAP YOU!!!!!


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